The memories of the dark times made Sungmin unconsciously tighten his embrace around the little boy in his arms. He tried to assure himself that Jintuo was safe now. Jintuo had him now. He would not let that boy get hurt again. He would never let that sweet boy who always called him 'Mama' lovingly experience the horror again.

Three years ago, Jintuo never trusted anyone enough to be embraced like that. Jintuo would have never told anyone 'I love you'. Jintuo would have never called him Mama. Jintuo would have never called anyone at all, would have never spoken anything.

Cho Jintuo came to his and Kyuhyun's life three years ago. That boy was the son of a distant family relative from his mother's side. Also, from what the record says, Jintuo’s father is a merchant from the Central Point, a Chinese and yet Sungmin wasn’t discouraged to adopt the kid even a blood of an enemy runs in it. He still remembered that shivering and bloodied bundle of a child barely alive as his loyal guard Yunho brought Jintuo to him. A terrorist attack, one that he had failed to predict and one that Kyuhyun could never quite forgive himself for his inability to stop, had struck the house of Jintuo and left all the members of the family killed. All of them, except for their youngest son, Jintuo, who managed to run from the massacre with the sacrifice of his mother.

Maybe it was the tie of blood, maybe it was to redeem their guilt, maybe it was only because their heart was moved the first time they saw Jintuo's pitiful condition that Sungmin and Kyuhyun instantly decided to take the boy into their house. But the thing was easier said than done. They were only two young men of twenty by that time and they knew nothing of raising a child, moreover a child with such a dark past like Jintuo. But as Kyuhyun had told him with confidence, they would make it, surely. Because even though they knew nothing about raising a child, they knew everything about love and love was the thing that Jintuo needed the most.

The horror of that one night had left Jintuo with a trauma that was so bad he could not speak at all for the first year afterward. During that one year, Sungmin and Kyuhyun could only try to show the little boy how much they loved him. It was not an easy time back then. No matter what they did, Jintuo still kept his silence but they both refused to give up. And their effort was not in vain for one year after they took Jintuo into their house, the boy suddenly buried his face into Sungmin's lap and spoke his first word to him.

Jintuo had called him Mama that day.

Sungmin was so happy about the fact that Jintuo finally spoke that he did not try to correct him. So the name was stuck to him until now. But he did not mind it. If it was Jintuo who called him Mama then he was perfectly all right, though he really did not appreciate it when Kyuhyun also tried to call him that.

"Is Papa really come back today?" Jintuo asked him suddenly, ending his reminiscing.

"It's 'is Papa really coming back today', Jintuo," he corrected his son's—yes, Jintuo was now his son as he and Kyuhyun had legally adopted him three years ago—words.

"He said he would come home today, that's why we are now here to pick him up."

"I miss Papa," Jintuo said. The little boy was silent for a while before he suddenly wriggled his way out of Sungmin's embrace. Sungmin let his little boy go and watched in curiosity as Jintuo picked his drawing paper from the ground. The paper was then presented to him, and upon seeing the sketch drawn on that piece of white paper, Sungmin's smile grew brighter.

"I drew Mama and Papa and myself," Jintuo said proudly, explaining the drawing to his Mama. Sungmin traced his fingers on the drawing. It was done with crayons and had a child's innocence in it. The drawing was portraying a man with dark hair and another man with brown hair holding the hands of a little boy who was smiling wide between them. There was no doubt about the identity of those three people in the drawing, moreover with Jintuo's curly handwriting describing the drawing as 'Jintuo's family' on the bottom right corner of the paper.

"I hope Papa likes it," Jintuo said, looking up to Sungmin. "I hope Mama likes it too."

"Of course Mama likes it," Sungmin said fondly to Jintuo. "And Mama is sure Papa will like it too. Papa will like anything that Jintuo draws because Papa loves Jintuo."

"Oh, good," Jintuo said with a satisfied grin. "Because I love Papa too."

Sungmin ruffled Jintuo's hair affectionately and the boy squealed in delight. He was so glad that Jintuo could now express his love so freely like that. He was so glad that Jintuo was finally able to accept Kyuhyun as his… well, Papa.

It was harder for Jintuo to accept Kyuhyun than for him to accept Sungmin. Maybe it was because of his memory of that certain night when he saw people in uniforms killing each other before his eyes. Even after he accepted Sungmin, Jintuo still refused Kyuhyun's touch. He oftentimes stared at Kyuhyun with fear mixed with hatred in his eyes. But Kyuhyun, his stubborn, idiot Kyuhyun, was tougher than that to give up only because a kid whom he loved so greatly glared dagger at him.

Sungmin thought that he should have known better. After all, Kyuhyun was the one who had managed to conquer his heart. Patiently, kindly, Kyuhyun had slowly but surely managed to get into his heart and let him know that he was loved. The same also happened with Jintuo. With patience and kindness that was almost impossible for a man to posses, Kyuhyun slowly tried to make Jintuo accept him, never waver even if he met so many rejections on his way.

Jintuo only called Kyuhyun Papa a few months after he opened up to Sungmin.

It was during a certain peace conference that was held in Sentia. Due to Jintuo's condition, Sungmin did not quite feel at ease to leave the boy alone back in Northern Lights so he and Kyuhyun had brought him along with them. He still could not decide until now if their decision that time could be considered a good one or a bad one. For during the conference, a separatist group revolted against the peace declaration and led an attack to the building where the conference was held. The fact that it was a peace conference and thus the envoy from Northern Lights did not brought many weapons made them face a grave danger. That attack left Jintuo so petrified for days afterward, but it also made him accept Kyuhyun.

Sungmin smiled as he thought of his Kyuhyun, his dear husband, who at that time grabbed the two of them and moved them to a save place. Without thinking of his own safety Kyuhyun had carried him and Jintuo amidst the bullets and shouts of battle.

He remembered how that time Kyuhyun had fought valiantly to protect them. He remembered how Kyuhyun never faltered, never left their side even for a second, never even when blood poured from his many wounds. In the end, both he and Jintuo came out of the struggle unscathed, yet Kyuhyun had to be admitted to Emergency Unit immediately. But his Kyuhyun, his strong, idiotic Kyuhyun, only smiled and kissed his and Jintuo's foreheads tenderly as he said how glad he was that his beloved ones were not hurt at all.

His Kyuhyun was so kind to the point of idiocy sometimes, but Sungmin knew Kyuhyun's kindness was his greatest strength. His kindness was also the one that managed to make Jintuo finally open up to him. And it was not only Kyuhyun who had tears in his eyes when Jintuo hugged him and said how he wished his Papa to get well soon.

The soft sound of knocking stopped him from thinking of the past. He watched the closed door and could not help a hopeful feeling when he thought what the knocking possibly might imply. Gracefully, he brought Jintuo and himself to their feet before he called.

"Enter."

The door opened and he could see a familiar soldier saluted to him.

"Excuse me for intruding your time, Your Highness," the soldier said. "I am to inform you that His Lordship Brigadier General Cho has landed safely and is expecting your presence."

Sungmin smiled, his hope was answered, it seemed. "I thank you for the information, Sir Yunho. Would you mind accompanying me to greet His Lordship?"

Sir Yunho, the head of his Palace Guard, smiled at him. "That would be my pleasure, Your Highness."

Across the corridors of Northern Lights military base, Sungmin walked with the loyal Yunho on his one side and a chipper Jintuo on his other side. He had a smile on his face when he thought that soon, he would see his Kyuhyun again. Soon, he would have his Kyuhyun by his side again after two weeks of being deprived of his presence. Soon, he would have Kyuhyun's smile greet him every morning again. Soon…

"Papa!" Jintuo's sudden happy squeal snapped Sungmin out of his reverie. Blinking, he then saw the sight of his Kyuhyun, arms spread wide to catch Jintuo who was running to his direction. Readily, those strong arms caught and then lifted Jintuo's body up to the air, smiling wide all the while.

"Hello, Jintuo," Kyuhyun said as he kissed the boy's cheek lightly. "It's nice to see you again."

"I missed you, Papa," Jintuo said with laughter in his voice.

"Papa missed Jintuo too," Kyuhyun said sincerely, touching the tip of his son's nose affectionately. He then adjusted Jintuo's weight in his arms before he walked to the direction where Sungmin was standing with Yunho on his side. For a moment the two uttered no word before Yunho saluted.

"I beg your apology, My Lord," Yunho said. "I was informed you were waiting in the hangar so I am about to bring His Highness there."

"I was impatient so I decided to meet my dearest family in their way. There is no need for apology," Kyuhyun said good-naturedly. "I thank you for your hard work, Sir Yunho. You are now dismissed."

With a final salute, Yunho turned his body and walked down the hallway away from them. Kyuhyun watched the receding form of the man until it disappeared around the corner before he gave his most seductive smirk to Sungmin, his beloved Sungmin who still stood speechless.

"Now, my son has greeted me, my loyal guard has greeted me," he said as he approached Sungmin with still carrying Jintuo in his arms. "But why oh why my dearest Min-ah has not said any word at all?"

Sungmin blinked upon hearing those words and he blushed hard upon seeing Kyuhyun's smirk. It seemed even after five years of marriage, that trait wouldn't disappear from him. Kyuhyun would always manage to make him blush, and smile, and cry, and everything in between. That was why, he thought, he loved him so much.

"Your Min-ah is just too happy to see you back he forgot how to find his voice to greet you," he said with a smile, "Welcome back, Kyu."

"I'm home," Kyuhyun said. "Now would you please grant your husband his well-deserved hug?"

Sungmin laughed but he let Kyuhyun pulled him with his one arm and afterward embraced him. He realized that he had really missed his idiot of a husband so the embrace was more than welcomed. But when Kyuhyun kissed him with Jintuo still watching between them, Sungmin gently pulled away.

"Kyuuu!" he chided softly. "Not in front of our son, you idiot."

"I thought you were also not supposed to call your husband 'idiot' in front of your son," Kyuhyun said with a smile. Sungmin threw him a glare but Kyuhyun only laughed. That idiot.

"Okay, I understand," Kyuhyun sighed. It seemed the message of that glare was clearly received. "Shall we go home now? Hm? Jintuo, do you want to go home together? We will go home together and Papa will surely pay up for those times Papa has been away."

"Yay!" Jintuo exclaimed. "Promise?"

"Promise,